Beautifully Broken
by StrangeMindFiction
Summary: What if Bella had never jumped from that cliff in New Moon? What if Edward had finally decided to come back for her? Would the 'would be' history still repeat itself? I obviously do not own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does! Let me know what you think!
1. Chapter 1: Sanctuary

**This is my very first fanfiction! I'm very nervous, but I hope you all like it!**

Chapter One

Sanctuary

* * *

_A whole year has gone by since he left me, _I thought.

I continued to stare out my window as Charlie washed his car. It was another cloudy day, as always, and it hurt that everything seemed to remind me of _him_. The clouds, the rain, the cold… I started to wonder if everything's purpose was to suddenly torture me. I didn't care. I would rather it be cold, wet, and sunless than to have the sun come out and dry up any memories that I had left of him. _As if the hole in my chest doesn't remind me enough_, I thought bitterly.

From the driveway, Charlie suddenly looked up at my window and waved. He had a smile on his face and seemed pretty much happy, but I knew it was all a show. He hated seeing me like this. He had been pretending to be happy ever since last year when I had become a zombie. And I pretended too. I acted as if my whole life wasn't destroyed, that my heart wasn't gone and never coming back.

I replied back with a wave and a fake smile, even though I was dead on the inside. And then another thought suddenly occurred to me.

_Jake… _

Jake would make me feel better, he always did. He and his little wolf pack were actually beginning to grow on me. I smiled a smile that truly felt genuine after faking for so long.

I jumped up, surprising myself with how excited I really was and ran downstairs to grab my car keys. As I walked out the front door toward my truck, Charlie stopped what he was doing (which involved something that I would've once swore was a sponge) and looked at me.

"Bells?" he asked. He looked worried, as if at any moment I would run off without any warning. I didn't blame him. It had happened once before.

"I'm going to go see Jake," I said casually. Geez, I hated pretending. But at least it was easier than lying.

"Oh," he said. Then he perked up as if he was an inflatable snowman and someone had finally decided to blow him up. "That's good! Very good, Bells! I'm glad you finally found something to do with your spare time nowadays."

Again the hole in my chest throbbed, and I tried to ignore the fact that most of my free time had once been spent on Ed- _him_. All of it.

"Yeah," I said bleakly after a moment. "He hasn't seen me in awhile and…" I trailed off, my heart just wanting to get to Jake as soon as it could. Or what was left of it, anyway. It seemed to me that half of my heart had left along with Edward, while the other half had stayed just to make sure I lived. But I wasn't exactly sure that what I was going through could be categorized as _living._

"I understand, Bella." He sighed. "You can go now. But don't be back too late," he added.

"I won't."

As I made my poor truck race down to La Push, I could hear his words in my head again.

_This will be the last time you will ever see me. _His words echoed throughout my head and into my heart. A broken sob escaped my chest and I finally decided I couldn't take it anymore. I pulled over to the side of the road and began to heave with the new cries that overwhelmed me. _This isn't healthy,_ I thought. _Not healthy at all. _

I straightened myself and wiped my face with the back of my hand. "Get yourself together," I mumbled. I fidgeted with the keys again and continued my way down to my sanctuary, my Jake.

When I pulled into Jake's driveway, I laughed. Jake and Paul were arm wrestling on the front porch and were being crowded around by a bunch of fellow werewolves. Jake's face was contorted and all squinted as he tried to gain an inch on Paul. Something about it suddenly made me almost slaphappy. Such a contrast to how I had felt earlier. Paul's face was an exact mirror of Jake's, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves as the battle raged on. I knew I was going to. Already I was giggling.

I hopped out from my truck and began to make my way over to the temporary arena. Jake was so engrossed in his competition, he barely acknowledged my presence; although I was pretty sure he was happy to see me.

"Bella!"

I looked toward my left and saw that Quil and Embry were leaning against the rail.

"Hey, you guys!" I smiled happily at them.

"Who do you think will win?" Quil asked.

"I'm putting my bet on Jake," interrupted Embry.

"I'm with you." I told him. "Paul doesn't stand a chance." I turned over to Paul, who had actually managed to draw his gaze to me during it all. I smiled sheepishly. He rolled his eyes with a sneer.

"Hey, Bella," someone called.

I quickly averted my eyes to Jake, who was now beaming at me.

"Wanna see something funny?" he asked.

Not sure what he was aiming at, I replied, "Sure."

And then with a whack that caused Paul to curse uncontrollably and storm off the porch, Jake smashed his hand into the table. Everyone started to laugh, including myself, and for a moment, the hole was gone. Like it had never been there. But before the moment was over, it returned. It wasn't as strong as it had been earlier, but it was still there and I could definitely feel it.

Jake smiled at me and came over to give me a big hug. He crushed me tightly to him and the embrace took my breath away.

"Ummm… Jake…." I sputtered.

"Oops! Sorry!" He quickly let go of me and took my hand. "I'm glad you decided to come by for once," he teased. "I never get to see you anymore."

I rolled my eyes.

"You know, Jake, that is a bunch of crap. You saw me two days ago." I smiled teasingly up at him and he smiled back. And I wasn't pretending this time.

"Yeah, I guess you're right… But it's still nice to see you."

"You too, Jake, you too."

And it was nice. I was with my sanctuary, with Jake. My hole became weaker when I was with him, as if his warmth's energy source came from my pain and was slowly taking it all away. I sighed. If only_ he_ would come back and take away the pain forever. But then I realized that _he_ didn't love me anymore, and that_ he_ was never going to come back.

If only I knew how much I was wrong.

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**Tell me what you think! Should I continue???**

**-Natasha**


	2. Chapter 2: What the?

Chapter 2

Wh-what?

* * *

I could feel the blazing heat from the campfire as it warmed and made my face glow. Jake was sitting right beside me, one of his hands casually draped over my shoulders, and his warmth almost put the flames to shame. Almost.

The whole wolf pack was crowded around the fire in a big, tight fitted circle. We had been telling scary stories…again… and with Quil sitting so close to my left side, I kept getting a big whiff of his underarm every time he lifted his hands in excitement or to clap. I scooted closer to Jake and he wrapped his arm tighter around me.

"My turn! My turn!" Quil yelled, full of enthusiasm. Again, another big whiff. I concentrated on taking shallower breaths. If it got too bad, I was determined to force Jake to switch sides with me.

"This one is about that vamp, Victoria, which we have been chasing."

Despite the warmth I was surrounding with, I froze. I hadn't been thinking of her. _Stupid!_ I screamed at myself_. How could you forget?_ Everyone around me eased in intently, eager to hear what he was about to say.

"Once upon a time," he began, "there lived a little wolf pack." He winked towards Sam and grinned. "One day, when the wolves were out at the beach chillin'," (everyone laughed at this part) "one of the wolves decided to play 'I'm finally a big boy.' His name was Jake."

Embry, by now, was practically rolling on the floor in laughter with a couple others that I didn't recognize. I looked up at Jake, but he just rolled his eyes.

"I think you're talking about yourself there, Quil," he said. "I think you're getting confused."

"Oh please!" Quil scoffed. "Anyways…" He waited until everyone had gotten quiet. "Like I said, little Jake had decided to be a man for once, and went into the forest while the rest of us were playing it cool."

"Playing it cool?" Jake asked incredulously.

Quil was starting to glare at him now. Jake raised his eyebrow.

"Like I was_ saying_…" he emphasized the word. "Jake went into the woods and got lost. While he was trying to find his way back and crying like a baby, Victoria heard him and came to put him out of his misery." Quil was definitely grinning now. He continued.

"She was just getting around to finishing him off when all of a sudden, out of the blue, came the strongest werewolf in the whole pack. He was built and incredibly handsome. And his name was Quil."

Jake suddenly burst into hysterical laughter, causing everyone to do the same. I smiled and forced a few little giggles through my throat, but I still hadn't unfrozen. _If only it wasn't Victoria they were talking about…_

Quil just scowled at everyone and continued his story above the ruckus. "And then," he practically shouted, "he kicked that Victoria's butt, slapped Jake around a little, and became leader of the pack!"

Embry broke into another round of laughter. I glanced nervously at Sam, to see if he was the kind of person to take offense of something like that, but he just laughed and seemed a little too smug. I took a guess that he was pretty sure Quil wouldn't be becoming leader of the pack anytime soon.

When Embry had finally come around, he mockingly punched Quil's shoulder, said "Nicely done," and ran over to Emily, who had just opened up a bag of Doritos.

"Hey Quil," Jake called. "Why don't I go get lost and you come and save me?" Jake teased. Quil snorted and turned away towards where Embry had gone, but I thought he looked nervous.

"Well, that was…interesting." I tried to make my voice sound light, but I wasn't really sure if it worked. Jake chuckled.

"Quil gets full of himself sometimes," he said. "And sometimes, it's a bit funny."

"A bit? Embry almost died over there!" _Don't think Victoria, don't think Victoria,_ I kept chanting to myself.

He raised his eyebrows. "But that's what makes it so funny." He laughed to himself again. "Watching people almost kill themselves."

"I don't think it's so funny," I muttered. I had only started to yawn when Jake suddenly jumped up, pulling me with him. "I should get you home…" He looked at me suggestively. "I mean, you look way too tired to drive."

I didn't want to have Jake take me home when he was perfectly fine here, but I couldn't argue. I didn't want to leave him, and the thought of being on the dark road all alone, now that I had remembered Victoria, was overwhelming. _Stupid!_ I shouted at myself again.

"Okay," I mumbled. My conscience was already slipping.

He walked me over to my truck and I leaned back heavily in the passenger seat. I heard him start the car, but I must have fallen asleep right there because when I opened my eyes again, we were pulling into Charlie's driveway. I blinked, trying to see the time on the dashboard. 10:46. Charlie was going to explode.

"Here," Jake murmured. "Let me get that for you." He reached over and opened my door before hopping out his.

The coldness of the night bit at my skin, but it only lasted for a moment until Jake was blocking the way, holding his arms out to me.

I groggily slipped from my truck and he caught me, keeping one hand around my waist and using the other to shut my door.

As we walked through the front door, I could vaguely make out the sounds of a game on the T.V. Charlie must still be up. I mentally cringed.

"Bella?" Charlie called from the living room.

"Dad?" I answered.

"Bella!" I could hear his sofa squeaking as he got up. "I thought I told you not to stay out too late. Do you know you nearly gave me a-" His speech stopped short as soon as he saw Jake.

"Jake…" Charlie seemed surprised, although his face still bore the lines of stress. He sighed. "Well, I guess that makes me feel a lot better." He smiled. "Bells, why don't you go run upstairs and get ready for bed? You look dead."

A mental part of me acknowledged that what he had just said rhymed, and it made me giggle. Both Jake and Charlie turned to look at me like I had lost my mind. _Dang, my mind must be wasted,_ I thought as I half crawled, half dragged myself up the stairs.

"Night, Bella," I heard Jacob say.

"Night," I mumbled. I didn't know if he even heard me.

But right then, I had stopped, listening to something that had come from in my room. It had sounded as if someone had just closed my window. Remembering that I had not opened my window earlier, I cautiously peered inside. My heart stopped.

Right there, standing only a few feet away from me, was_ him. _I couldn't think. Couldn't breathe_._ His porcelain skin, his bronze hair… only a few short steps away. I looked into his golden eyes and he smiled tenderly. He took a small step towards me, one hand outstretched, and I nearly fainted.

"Bella!" Jake shouted from downstairs.

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**Let me know what you thought!! Was it worth reading? **

**-Natasha**


	3. Chapter 3: Impossible

Chapter 3

Impossible

* * *

I was frozen in place. I just couldn't move.

"Bella!" Jake shouted again, and I could hear him rushing up the stairs to my room. I felt a sudden urge to quickly shut the door in his face before he reached me, but it was impossible. Like I said, I was still in shock.

"Bella?" Edward whispered.

I hadn't moved my eyes from his face and when he whispered my name, my heart began to do somersaults and tricks you could only find in a circus. I took a big step towards him. But just then, Jake-a-poo decided to rain down on my parade.

"Hey!" he shouted. I turned around to face him, but he quickly sidestepped past me, blocking my view of the angel at my window.

I could hear another set of footprints coming up the stairs and mentally rolled into a ball. What was this? A reunion from down under_? Well, I guess that couldn't possibly be all entirely true, considering the attendees,_ I thought, thinking of Edward.

"Bells? Are you okay in there?" Charlie called. I panicked. What would happen when Charlie saw _him_ in here?

I leaned around Jake and caught Edward's gaze. He must have realized at once why I was suddenly so nervous. He smiled a quick, dazzling smile, and was out my window just seconds before Charlie stepped in. I almost broke. Was I the only one who thought that what had just happened was a pretty good illustration of how he had vanished from my life just as soon as he had entered it?

Charlie swept his eyes around my room, as if scanning for possible threats. When his eyes finally rested on me with Jake still blocking my view, glowering at my window, his brow creased.

"Uh, Jake…" Charlie said. "It's just a window…" Charlie appeared to be concerned, but I thought I saw a hint of amusement in his eyes, as if he figured this was a moment that should have been caught on tape. If I had been able to read minds like Edward, I wouldn't have been surprised if I sensed regret in Charlie's.

_If I ever get to see Edward again,_ I thought, _maybe I could ask him what Charlie was thinking just now…_ It was still hard to think his name, even though all I wanted to do was sing it. I sighed.

Jacob had relaxed, now that _he_ was gone, and immediately rushed to my window, slamming it shut and locking it in the process. I frowned.

"What are you doing, Jake?!" I half screeched. There was no way I was going to let just anyone, especially Jacob, shut my window when the person I loved so much was probably hiding just outside it.

_If he still loves me._

He turned to stare at me incredulously. "Have you lost your mind?" He yelled back.

Charlie had just been standing there, not saying a word. I looked at him now and the hint of amusement that had once been in his eyes was gone. He was truly staring at Jake as if something was really wrong with him. _If only he knew the whole story._ I contemplated, and then grimaced. _No,_ I thought. _He could never know the whole story._

"Jacob?" Charlie asked, his voice somber. "I think it's time you went home. You seem a little tired." He pursed his lips, thinking. "Want me to drive you?"

I wondered if my dad had realized that Jake hadn't driven his own car here yet.

"No." Jake sounded upset and looked way too mad to even convince me. "No, no," he repeated, "I'm fine." He returned his attention towards me. "I just need to talk to Bella for a second."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why?" I asked, already knowing.

"Just because." He looked at Charlie again. "I had a few questions about some school work. I'll be down soon."

Charlie's expression showed how surprised he was with how the situation had gone. He was way too old for this. "O-okay…" he muttered, heading for the stairs. Once he was out of sight, Jake rushed to my door to shut it at the exact same time that I ran to my window and opened it. As soon as it was opened to the night, I stepped a few paces back, waiting for him to come in again.

"Bella!" Jake shouted. "Have you gone crazy? What's wrong with you?" He was furiously stomping his was back to the window to shut it again, but before he got within two feet in front of me, my angel hopped back into my life.

I was standing not far from his left, so when I first caught glimpse of him again, it took my breath away.

Jake was practically charging towards him now, and I ungracefully scampered in his way to step right in front of Edward, blocking him.

"Don't you dare," I warned Jake severely. I could feel Edward inches behind me and his cool breath tickled my neck.

Jacob stopped right in front of me, keeping his gaze straight on Edward. His face had me imagining steam coming from his nose and ears. He was shaking badly, and I was worried that he was going to phase right there. I took a small step back and bumped into Edward. I made a little squeal and hurriedly tried to give him some room, but he quickly put his arm around my waist, pulling me close to his side. _He_ was blocking me from _Jacob_ now.

I looked up into his face, and he looked back down at me. His eyes smoldered and his face was dazzling. No surprise there.

"Edward…" I whispered. My voice was dry and choked with emotion. This couldn't be real, could it? He continued to smile sweetly at me and tightened his hold. Jake cleared his throat loudly.

"Ahem," he barked. I reluctantly turned to look at him.

"Jake," I said, "you obviously don't want to be here, so why don't you just go?"

I could tell I had hurt him, and even though the kid really did get on my nerves, he had been sweet the past few months. "I'm sorry, Jake," I murmured. "I just think that you should go now."

As I had been talking, Edward was busy laying his face in my hair. His cool breath sent jolts of electricity to my scalp and I shivered. "Bella…" He whispered my name again.

Jake hadn't left, nor did he make any signs that he was going to. I was starting to get really agitated.

"Jake! Please! Can't you just come back later after I get things…" I trailed off, searching for the right phrase. "…Sorted out?" There, that worked. Lots of things needed to get sorted out right now.

"I'm not leaving, Bella," he stated stubbornly. "Not after what he did to you."

Edward had lifted his head from my hair and was now glaring at Jake. "You can stay then," he said, his voice like velvet. "But at least let me say something to Bella that I have wanted to tell her ever since I left."

Jacob's lip pulled up over his teeth and seemed to growl the words. "Go on, then."

Edward's eyes averted to hold mine, and he whispered the words that I never thought I would hear again in all of my existence. "Bella," he murmured. "I love you. I always have, and I always will. Your image was in my mind the entire time that I was away, and I never stopped thinking about you, not even for a second. Can you ever forgive me for what I have done to you?"

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**Thank you so much for reading! I'm sorry I didn't get to update it earlier, but I plan to update the next chapter as soon as I can! :) **

**-Natasha**


	4. Chapter 4: Found

Chapter 4

Found

* * *

I felt my mouth fall open. What was he saying? That he had loved me this whole time? Ever since he had left? What?!

"But you… I thought…You said…" He had just told me that he still loved me, and I was so confused all I could do was stutter moronically. He continued to stare down at me and his eyes slowly became sad.

"I know," he whispered sadly, so low that I barely even heard what he said. "It's hard to believe, I know," he repeated. "But it's true." His eyes mesmerized mine, and I couldn't look away. Not for an instant. "I love you more than I could ever tell you."

I continued to stare at him like an idiot. _He… loves me?_ I thought. I knew I was acting stupid and that I needed to say something to him. Anything. _Come on!_ My mind screamed at my lips. _Why won't you move already?! _

"Edward." Jake's neutral voice broke me out of my dilemma. Had he actually addressed Edward himself? Without any problem? Why couldn't I do that? Edward slowly turned his head towards Jacob and I followed. I was very aware that Edward had not yet let me go and my heart sang. _Shut up,_ I told it. _This isn't over. Not yet. _

Jacob was standing a little distance to my left and when I turned around to face him, he sneered.

"So," he began. "This is nice." He glanced at Edward. "What makes you think you can just walk in here…" he paused. "No, wait, I'm sorry. _Jump_ in here without any permission?" He raised his eyebrow.

"Jake," I said. "Please, just let it go. We obviously have some talking to do, and the way you're prolonging it is really getting annoying." There. I said it. Please let him leave now.

His sneer became more pronounced. "Oh, I get it. You think that just because he's back, we can all go back to how things were before?" He chuckled. "It doesn't work that way, Bella."

"Of course it doesn't, Jacob." I was surprised to hear Edward's words, and I glanced up to see his expression. He looked sincere and sad. _Edward…_

Jake grimaced when Edward had said his name, and I tried to get him to see my grimace that I was now throwing at him. He eventually saw it and grinned. "Sweet," he said. "You hate me now."

"I don't hate you, Jake," I pleaded. "I just don't really_ like_ you right now." And then a thought occurred to me. "Unless you'd be happy for me to hate you. Then perhaps I could arrange that." I knew I was acting totally unlike myself, but the way he seemed to act when he found out that I might hate him hurt me. As if he wanted that.

After my words had seemed to set in, his face became expressionless. He continued to stare in my eyes from across the room, and I truly did feel sorry for him. But once I remembered how he had acted toward Edward, toward _me,_ I knew that I had had enough.

"Jake, leave now or I'm calling Charlie." I couldn't keep the venom from seeping through my voice and he responded in the way I knew he would. He backed away from me, as if I were really as dangerous as I sounded, and felt his way back to my door.

"I knew it." He sounded utterly defeated, yet he still held some bitterness in his tone. "I knew you would give him a second chance before you ever gave me one."

I could feel the hurt and disbelief spread across my face, but I think I succeeded in holding most of it in. I would never tell him how much that hurt.

"Have fun with your bloodsucker," he added as he was turning to leave. But before he could get through, Edward called him back.

"Wait, Jacob."

Jake slowly faced him, still showing no sign of expression.

"I wanted to thank you. You took care of my Bella when I was…" He trailed off. "Totally blind. I know that I'll never be able to make it up to her, but I hope that you can, at least, understand my position." He looked at Jake with honest eyes, and I could feel tears starting to well up in mine. He continued. "I never, in all of my time, meant for anything like this to happen. Even when I know that she's here, with me, I still cannot be certain that she won't leave." He looked so heartbroken, I couldn't bear it.

I placed one of my hands on his cheek, rubbing my thumb across his cheekbone. I marveled at the texture of his skin. It had been too long since I touched it last. He bowed his head, closing his eyes.

"I've missed you so much, Bella," he whispered. "I'm so sorry I caused you so much pain."

"Don't worry about it," I told him. "I'm just glad you came back."

He opened his glorious, golden eyes, and attempted a smile. "I am too, Bella. I just hope that you can forgive me." And then his expression changed. "Do you still love me?" He asked.

I was temporarily stunned with what he had asked, and I instantly answered, "Yes. Of course I do."

His smile became extremely tender. He placed one of his hands on my cheek, too, and turned his head to sniff at my wrist, still an inch from his perfect, flawless nose. I hugged myself closer to him, and he brought his face down to mine, hesitating just a few inches from my lips.

"I was only lying to you, you know," he said. "I was never really leaving because I didn't want you anymore. That could never happen."

My breath was coming in jagged, little gasps. "You don't know how long I've dreamt that," I breathed. "I must have known it all along."

When he finally placed his lips on mine, I melted. All I wanted was him. And it would always be him.

Meanwhile, Jake had disengaged himself from the scene. He walked slowly down the stairs, as if in a trance, and quickly said goodnight to Charlie.

"Did you get everything, Jake?" Charlie asked. "I hope you understand some of your schoolwork now."

"Oh yeah," Jake replied. "I got everything there was to get."

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**Thank you all so much who read and review this! It means a lot to me! I have been contemplating on whether or not I should continue or just have it end here. Let me know what you think! :) **

**-Natasha**


	5. Chapter 5: Awake in a Dream

**Okay, so I decided to continue from the 4****th**** chapter… I hope I can come up with something good towards the end! Hehe :) **

**This is a bit shorter than my other chapters, but I'll try to make the next one longer. (To make up for my short little paragraphs :D ) Also, if you have any suggestions, let me know! **

Chapter 5

Awake in a Dream

* * *

I awoke with a start. _The dream had been so real…_ I thought to myself. I tried to remember what it was that I had just dreamed and then the most horrible wave of nausea caught me. Did he not come back then? Had it only been a dream after all? _Funny,_ I thought, remembering.

In the dream, I had told my Ed- No. I stopped myself from saying it because_ he_ was not _mine_ anymore. I had told _him_ that I always dreamt him saying that he had wanted me. I guess I just did again. I was having foreshadowing dreams filled with irony now. Nice.

I sat up, and I didn't feel like myself. I had just experienced the best dream ever, and now it had taken its toll on me. My heart wasn't singing anymore, as I once thought it had been doing. Now, it was falling, hoping that something, somewhere, would eventually catch it._ I_ was hoping that something would eventually catch it. I couldn't do it all on my own.

"This sucks," I muttered.

I went to get ready for another day of my life, pausing only to look myself over in the mirror. I looked like crap. I tried to make myself look better by applying a little makeup, but I didn't get a very good opinion on how I had improved. My tears were blocking the way. I slumped down the stairs to the kitchen table, spotting Charlie.

"Morning," Charlie mumbled. He looked horrible, like he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in a long time. Last night had been the first for me. I guess I still hadn't felt the aftershock from it yet. I felt a little surge of joy as I realized I wasn't the only person that looked like crap today. Holy crow, I was becoming depressed.

"Morning," I mumbled back.

"You doin' anything exciting for school today?" He looked at my earnestly.

"Nope."

He grimaced. "Well, why not? You have friends, don't you?"

"Sure, sure." I looked up and faked a smile at him. "I just don't feel like doing what they like to do on their spare time."

"Jake?" He seemed determined to make me break, to finally at last tell him what was wrong with me, or perhaps to tell him I was going to start living my life again, but I didn't give in.

"He's cool," I said slowly, remembering him in my dream. It made me sad to know that if anything like my dream were to actually occur, the same reaction would have come from me. I would have broken his heart and not looked back.

"I have to leave for school now…" I trailed off. "I'll catch you later."

"M'kay," Charlie mumbled.

As I drove to school, I looked out through the sheet of rain. I could have sworn the dream was real. It had been so, so very real. I tried to think of the possibilities of that dream, and the idea that something like it could happen was just so…_unlikely._

I pulled into the school, parking in my usual spot. I grabbed my bag, ready to face the onslaught of the rainfall and the worst it could throw at me, when I realized something. Something that was also very_…unlikely. _

I turned my head slowly to the right to find a shiny, beaming red M3. Just like Rosalie's. And then I turned my head slowly to the left to find a very, very big jeep. Just like Emmett's. _What the…?_

I had parked right smack in the middle of two cars that looked identical to the ones I thought I would never,_ ever_ see again in my whole life and didn't even realize it until _now? _I was going insane. I was mental. _They cannot be real, they just can't._ I shakily got out of my truck, and like a dork, tenderly touched the jeep. It was there. Unless I had completely cracked and was able to feel imaginative objects now, it was there.

I quickly scanned the remainder of the parking lot to see if _his_ car was here too, but my results left me unsatisfied. _It's most likely just a coincidence_, I told myself over and over_. Please, please just let it be a coincidence._

"Bella!"

That voice. That annoying, irritating little voice… I was suddenly overwhelmed with the memory of shopping and clothes…I knew _that_ voice.

"Alice?" I choked.

She was suddenly there, hopping up and down in front of me, waiting for me to give her a hug. When I just stared at her, she finally gave up and gave me one instead.

"Alice?" I repeated. "What are you doing here?"

"The same thing you're doing here, silly," she said, exasperated. " School!" She laughed her musical, enchanting laugh.

"But… where is"-

"Edward?" She cut me off. I swallowed.

"Yeah, him." Did I really want to know?

"He left on a quick hunting trip right after he saw you last night. He didn't want to leave, but I basically forced him to." She rolled her eyes. "And he calls you stubborn. _Please!"_

"He's here?" I tried not to sound too panicky.

She cocked her head to the side. "Well, not _here_ here, but of course." She began to look at my cautiously. "Don't you remember seeing him last night?"

"Yes," I said unwillingly. "But"-

"But you didn't believe it?" she said quietly, interrupting me again.

"Sort of," I murmured sheepishly.

She rolled her eyes.

"Well, I can tell you one thing for sure," she began. "If you're gonna miss having you to yourself, you better enjoy it now, because Edward is going to be back before lunch is over and you're not going to get much free time after that." She laughed and began to drag me toward the school building.

"C'mon," she whined. "Emmett has been dying to see his favorite person to torment and I'm going to be late to class if I have to talk to Jasper about something first."

And with that, she hauled me back into my dream, into something that caught my heart.

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**As always, ****thank- you**** for reading!!! It means a lot, I promise. :) **

**-Natasha**


	6. Chapter 6: Surpsrise, surprise

**I was so disappointed when I realized that special kinds of font don't show up on here. :( I had this amazing font for Emmett, but it just didn't work out... -_- Anyways, I had to change it to bold instead.**

Chapter 6

Surprise, surprise

* * *

Was it possible that anyone like Emmett could somehow get… _bigger? _Maybe it was just my lack of memory, but seriously! The guy was _huge! _

He was standing near a vending machine a few yards off, crowded around by a bunch of girls who looked like they could've been freshmen, flexing his muscles. Rose was standing behind him, her arms crossed across her chest, giving death glares to anyone who tried to touch him. I didn't see Jasper anywhere.

Once Emmett spotted Alice dragging me behind her, his eyes grew double their size, and he laughed his deep, rumbling chuckle. He was mocking me.

"There's the little monkey! And in the flesh, too!" His voice carried across the school ground, causing everyone to follow his gaze. Right towards me. _Nice._

"Shut up, Emmett," I muttered, hoping that he would listen. No one could have possibly heard me other than Alice, but I knew that Emmett and any other vampire here would have. He laughed again. He gestured for me to approach him, but I was afraid. Would he try to crack another joke about me in front of everyone? And what about those scary muscles… I swallowed loudly. His grin grew ever wider, showing that he had heard it. He winked at me.

"Alice," I whispered frantically. I didn't care if he heard what I was going to say. Or maybe I did. Whichever. "He's not going to do anything mean, is he?" Emmett laughed again. People had started to go back to what they had been doing before Emmett had interrupted with his warm welcome, but a few still lingered about, curious.

"No…" she seemed to hesitate, which didn't help my resolve.

I glanced back at the big mountain man.

"I think I'd rather talk to you later." He raised an eyebrow. "When no one else is around." I said the last line slowly, attempting to get my point across. But I was too late. Before I knew what was happening, he was bounding toward me.

Maybe it was a stupid thing to do. Okay, it was beyond stupid. But a girl can hope. After all, the turtle was the one who won the race, not the rabbit.

I ran.

I dropped Alice's hand, and I _ran._

_Please stop chasing me, please stop chasing me,_ I repeated to myself again and again.

I'd like to say that I made it ten feet, but then that would be a lie. I didn't even make five.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," he ticked. He had come up from behind, throwing his arm around my shoulders. "When will you ever learn that it's impossible, especially for you, to outrun a vampire?" His tone was mocking.

"Alice?" I called out, looking for the person who would become one of my favorite people in the whole wide world if she were to get rid of Emmett. _Where the heck is she?_

Emmett cleared his throat. "Anyways," he said, swinging me back and forth by the shoulders, "I wanted to let you know that we now have first hour for history." His smile was scary. "Together."

"Oh no," I gasped in horror. I would never escape him.

"And last hour," he stated, clearly enjoying himself. "For English."

I groaned. What were the odds? _The odds…_

"But don't worry, my little misfit," he said flippantly. "Everything is going to be just _spectacular."_

"I think I'm going to be sick." And with that, I fumbled my way to the school building, trying to ignore the rumbling laughter behind me. I swung the door open, hurriedly turned a corner, and ran smack into… "Jasper?" I asked.

"Shhh," he whispered. He backed away from me a little bit, and I tried my best not to get to close to him. The last time I had seen him was at my birthday party last year. It was hard for him to be around me.

"I'm trying to hide from Alice," he explained, then clamped his mouth shut as if he was afraid of saying anything. I looked at him questionably.

"Why are y-"

But then he was gone. It scared the crap out of me. He just sort of… disappeared.

"Hey," someone called behind me. I turned around to face Emmett, his grin now amazingly gone.

"Did you just see what happened?" I asked him. "Why is Jas-?"

"I can't tell you yet." _Why?_

"Okay…" I was totally confused. Why would Jasper be hiding from Alice? She wasn't that scary, was she?

"C'mon, little monkey," Emmett called, already half way down the hall. "We're gonna be late."

I quickly sprinted after him, knowing I wasn't a match to him even when he was _walking. _Emmett didn't break his pace as he entered the classroom, but I lingered just outside the door, trying to find one last glimpse of the little pixie named Alice. I didn't see her though, only a trailing Rosalie as she murmured, "Bella," to me, giving me a curt nod.

"Rosalie," I said in return. And that was it. No little pixie. I sighed and went through the class door, toward my tormentor.

Emmett was sitting in the back, lounging in his chair as if he didn't give a care. And he probably didn't. He had most likely taken this class more times than he could count; more than how many times he had seen how clumsy I was. And that was saying something.

He had one seat open next to him. He gestured for me to take it. I frowned.

"Good morning, class." The teacher began. I didn't realize that I was doing it, but I zoned out, totally ignoring what my teacher was saying. I tried to get my attention back on him, but Emmett kept distracting me. He would suddenly poke me in the arm, so hard I knew there was going to be a bruise as a reminder when I got home. Or he would tug on my hair, making me grit my teeth. I was definitely going to request a new seat tomorrow.

"Mr. Emmett Cullen," the teacher retorted. That caused Emmett to drop my hair.

"Yes, sir?"

I giggled. Emmett had just said "sir." Haha. His jaw clenched.

"Would you mind taking your focus off of your fellow classmate's hair? There are plenty of other classes out there that would be beneficial towards your interest in the salon business, and I'm sure they would love to accept you. But it just so happens that this is not one of them."

I covered my mouth from bursting out into tears of pure laughter. _If only Edward were here to see this_. I gasped. _Edward was going to be here before lunch, _I thought. I figured that gave me about two more classes before I finally got to see his beautiful face again. I sighed.

The teacher had gone back to his lecture and I turned to Emmett. He was glaring darkly at me and I involuntarily flinched away. Dang, he looked frightening. "Halloween hasn't come yet," I muttered to myself. His glare deepened.

I wanted to ask him about Jasper and Alice, but I'll admit I was scared to. _And what if Mr.… what was his name anyways?_ I tried to remember if I had heard my teacher tell us his name, but gave up. _What if he catches me talking to Emmett and calls me out, too?_ I smiled. Without looking at Emmett or seeming to even move my lips, I whispered so low, it was barely audible to my own ears. At least_ I_ wouldn't get caught talking.

"What's up with Alice and Jasper?" I whispered.

He ignored me at first, but as I continued to press him for information, he wrote on the corner of his paper. I had to squint in order to see it. It read:

**Jasper is trying to surprise Alice. It's they're anniversary.**

"Oh." _Nice response, Bella,_ I thought.

"But where was Alice? Didn't she know what he was doing? And why did he just run away from me?" He had already begun writing again before I finished.

**Jasper ran away from you because if he talked about it or even thought it, Alice would see what he was up to. He's been successful in keeping it a secret so far. And if you started asking him questions, Alice would have heard you and came find him.**

So that was why Alice had just disappeared. She was looking for Jasper.

**Alice thinks that Jasper has forgotten, but she doesn't know why she can't find him.**

I lifted my eyebrows in disbelief. How could Alice not be able to connect the dots? It was so obvious that he was up to something. Especially since he just so happened to disappear right on the day of their _anniversary!_

The bell rang right then, sending me jumping out of my seat with a little squeal. A few people gave me looks, but I immediately turned away to hide my face. I yanked Emmett's paper from his desk and crammed it into my backpack.

"But why are you telling me now, then?" I asked Emmett. "Won't she see the way our thoughts are going and allow her to see the future?"

"Nope," he said casually. "He's already done what he was going to do."

"And what was that?"

"You'll see." He smirked.

"Wait-" I called after him as he was heading for the door.

"Yes?" He said pleasantly back.

"You never really fully explained why Jasper was _hiding."_

Emmett grinned. "Well, for one reason, if he was around Alice, he would constantly be thinking of her and what he was planning. He was very carefully thinking of nothing when you ran into him."

"Thinking of nothing?" I knew_ I_ couldn't do that. "How?"

"Very carefully, duh. Weren't you listening?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"And was there another reason?" I asked.

"She can be one nasty, very demonic little creature when she realizes someone has forgotten something very important to her."

"But Jasper didn't forget." I frowned. "Right?"

"Sure, Bella, sure," he said with another laugh. "I'll see you in English. I hear Edward will be joining us, and considering he won't let me make fun of you with him around, I'll make sure that this class," he gestured around the room, "will be most memorable."

* * *

**Loved it? Hated it? Didn't know what you thought of it? Let me know that you think! :) **

**-Natasha**


	7. Chapter 7: Time, uncertainty, stickyness

**Hey guys!! I'm really sorry it took me so long to update, but I thought of another story and probably should have kept it to myself… hehe :) My friends threatened to kill me if I didn't start it first and then I wouldn't have been able to finish this one! Again, very, **_**very **_**sorry. You can check it out if you want; it's called, "An Assassin's heart", and even features our one and only Edward and Bella! But I must warn you: IT'S NOT VERY GOOD SO FAR!!!! **

Chapter 7

Time, uncertainty, and something rather sticky

* * *

My heart was singing, screaming, begging Edward to be back already. _Only another hour,_ I kept telling it. _Only another hour._

But the hour seemed to drag on, continuing to torture me, ripping my heart out. I found myself constantly returning my eyesight to the clock. _Half hour now…_ It was only when the bell rang at last throughout the school for lunch that I truly felt happy inside. It was my first happy moment of the day, and I was hoping that it wouldn't be the last.

I rushed out of my Spanish class, just as eager to leave it as I was to see Edward. _Edward. _My heart was singing in my chest. I entered the cafeteria, looking everywhere for him, only to have my heart crash when he was nowhere in sight. It stopped dead short in the middle of its solo.

I began to slump toward the lunch line, but gasped when something cold touched my arm. I clumsily spun around to meet his golden eyes, only to meet Alice. I frowned. Don't get me wrong, I was glad to see her, but she wasn't who I wanted to see _right now._ She saw my expression and laughed.

"Still upset from this morning, are we?" she asked. I grimaced. I had been trying my darn hardest not to remember that. Especially first hour with Emmett. I cringed. I was going to hate that class.

_Dang it. It's a shame; I actually like history..._

"That wasn't very nice, you know." I said back stubbornly. "I mean, I know how anxious you were about Jasper and all, but you could have at least waited a little bit longer to help me out with _him."_ I hissed the last word. She just laughed. Edward was right. How could someone so possibly small be so annoying? "What did Jasper do for you anyway?"

Her expression changed, instantly brightening, and I felt as if my face would burn off. She was beginning to stare at me in a way that was making me feel a bit uncomfortable. It was as if I so happened to be the next designer dress that she just needed to get her little hands on. I backed away.

"I'll tell you later," she sang. Well, whatever Jasper did, he truly made her day. Err… her _existence_; I corrected myself, remembering a vampire's day could never end. But I got the feeling that there was something she wasn't telling me, other than the fact that she said she would tell me later about Jasper. She was leaving something out. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at her and she winked.

"C'mon," she said, tugging me toward a table that wasn't occupied when I had last looked. Now Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett were all occupying the chairs. Alice shoved a lunch tray in my hands that she had been carrying, already stacked with food.

"Umm, Alice…?" I asked.

"Just eat." She stared me down and I nodded quickly, averting my eyes to my least favorite person in the whole wide world. Emmett. He was grinning at me stupidly, an evil sparkle of mischief in his eyes. _Jeez…_

"Good afternoon, little monkey." He chuckled. "Sorry we didn't save ya a seat. I guess I took it instead."

"No problem," I muttered. He began to laugh at me and my cheeks burned. I looked around for another chair, but Alice had already stolen one for me. Emmett was saying something about me being a cousin to the tomato he almost dared himself to eat yesterday, and I suddenly remembered something. Actually, I never forgot, but I was looking for the right time to bring it up."Hey, Emmett. How's your salon expertise going?" I mocked. His grin instantly vanished.

"Salon expertise?" Alice chimed in. Oh yes, this was going to be good.

I rushed, attempting to get enough out before he stopped me. "Emmett got busted in class today because he couldn't wait to show off his wonderful salon-like abilities, and-"

He cut me off. "That's just what Mr. Varner said." _Oh, so that was the teacher's name…_ Nice Emmett was able to pay attention_._ He continued. "Doesn't mean anything, right misfit?" Emmett glared at me.

"Uhh…" I trailed off. Was it a smart thing to become enemies with Emmett? From the look on his face, I guessed not.

"Well, _I_ think it means something," a beautiful, enchanting voice said behind me. I wanted to turn around, but I was a little scared that it would turn out to be an allusion. I had been having quite a bit of those. Edward came to stand right beside me, so close that our shoulders were touching. I tried my best to breathe evenly.

"Oh, so do you now?" Emmett asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what would give you that impression?"

"Yes, I believe I do." He chuckled quietly. "And your mind does," he added.

Alice had gone to sit next to Jasper and Rosalie, quietly watching us with a smile on her face. She was making little motions with her hands, obviously trying to convey that Edward and I should move closer. I could only imagine what she was saying to Edward with her mind. I could have killed her if that were possible. Plus, she had found me a chair and lunch, so I really had nothing against her.

"Don't worry, Emmett," I threw in. "No one will judge you any differently than they do now, and I'll be sure to get you your own beauty care kit for Christmas." He growled menacingly. I was definitely going to regret this tomorrow morning in history.

Edward laughed at that and threw his arm across my shoulders, pulling me to his side. He turned his head to rest it on top of mine, tucking it under his chin. "Missed you," he breathed against my hair. My scalp tickled. I could feel Emmett burning a hole in my face, but I ignored it. Instead, I rested my head against Edward's chest and breathed in his scent. He smelled _so good! _I sighed.

"I missed you, too," I breathed. His arms pulled me even closer. Emmett was really making me uncomfortable by now, so I quickly turned Edward and me around, our backs facing him, toward the rest of the cafeteria. The relief was short lived though. The whole cafeteria was burning holes in my face, too, but mostly Edward's and his family. I frowned.

"Do you want to head towards your next class?" Edward murmured beside me. I didn't want to leave him again. I didn't want to have to wait until last hour in order to see him. Even worse, Emmett would be there. The quietness of the cafeteria made me wonder if they had all heard my little conversation about Emmett, and I wanted to smile demonically.

But they were making me feel uncomfortable too, so I whispered, "Okay."

We walked out of the cafeteria at a pace that was slow for him, but a just a little too fast for me. As soon as we were alone, he swept me up into his arms, carrying me bridal style. I gasped.

He gracefully carried me across the grounds toward a bench beneath a bunch trees and sat down, pulling me onto his lap. We had only made it half way toward my math class. I looked around and realized that this was the place he had carried me that night during prom. It had been the night I had thought he was going to change me. I blushed, remembering.

He smiled briefly, but it didn't touch his eyes. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Good. Amazing. Absolutely wonderful." I smiled into his golden eyes. We were quiet for a moment; we just continued to stare into each other's eyes. After awhile, he tilted his head to gaze up at the trees.

"How are _you_ feeling?" I murmured softly. His face instantly flashed back to mine.

"Incredible." He paused for a moment. "Bella?"

"Yes?" My voice was becoming faint. What was he about to say? That he made a mistake and he really didn't want me back after all? I wasn't sure how I could live with that. I _knew_ I couldn't live with that.

"Tell me something," he prompted softly. I just nodded. "What were you thinking when I came back last night?" Well… that was… unexpected.

I thought for a moment. "I was thinking that you weren't real. That what you were saying wasn't real. I thought you were a dream," I finished quietly. "Sometimes I still think I haven't woken up yet."

His brow furrowed. "Did you think I was a nightmare?"

"No!" I shouted. I immediately calmed down and placed my hand on his cheek. "That's not even possible."

He smiled halfheartedly. "You _are_ awake, Bella." He took his arms from around me and placed them on either side of my face. "I can see where you might confuse me with a nightmare." I opened my mouth to protest, but he continued. "I just feel like my being here has caused you to feel sorry for me." His eyes were sad. "I keep wondering if I should have just left you alone," he explained.

"No," I whispered. "No, you shouldn't have. I needed you to come back. I don't know how… what I could have done…" I swallowed and looked deep into his eyes. "You saved me from myself, Edward; from my heart. I love you," I marveled.

His face was twisted in anguish, and I hated it. "Please." My voice was uneven. "Don't be sad."

He smiled a tiny smile and I tousled his hair. "Are you unhappy that I love you?" I asked. My voice broke.

His eyes widened and he quickly pulled me into an embrace, burying his face in my hair. "Never," he said. His arms tightened around me. "I was just worried that you may have been acting out of a guilty conscience and that_ I _was the only one that loved _you."_

"Never," I said, repeating him. He grinned my favorite crooked smile, and this time it touched his eyes. He bent down to kiss me and began to hum my lullaby. All of a sudden, I felt something sticky hit the back of my head and Edward pulled me behind him at blinding speed, hissing menacingly.

Emmett stood a good fifty feet away from us, grinning at me. "See you two in a bit," he said, and walked off.

* * *

**I love reviews!!! :D **

**Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em!!**

**-Natasha**


	8. Chapter 8: Just Managing

**Sorry, yet again, that it took so long for an update. I haven't vanished off the face of the earth, I promise. I've just been having writer's block. But I think I have a pretty good idea of what to do now! :D Hooray! Lol.**

Chapter 8

Just Managing

* * *

"Hold still!" Alice scolded me. I giggled. It was odd how Emmett throwing something at me and having it stick to my hair had left me with such a giddy attitude. Maybe it was just my way of blocking the effect I knew it would have on me later. A part of me was silently mourning for my hair.

Edward was soothingly patting my back, trying to make me feel better while Alice frantically pulled and tugged at my head. I would be surprised if I had any hair left after this.

"Do you not care?" She continued to criticize me. "If Emmett lives through what Edward has in plan for him, I will finish him off myself!" I giggled again and she glared at me.

"Can't you already see if he's going to live through it, Ms. Future?" I mocked.

Her eyes threw daggers at me. "I mean, come on! This is going to call for a lot of hair products in order to completely restore your hair, and…" She trailed off, a smile lighting her face. _Uh oh._

"Alice, no!" I whined. Her grin grew so much; it was wonder how her face was able to hold it.

"SLEEPOVER!!!" She shrieked. I hung my head in defeat. Great… If I had to stay at the Cullen's, I would rather spend my time with Edward, not with Alice giving me the whole hair and salon treatment. I would never be able to escape.

"Don't worry," Edward murmured, only for me. "I'll save you once she's not looking." He smiled mischievously at me.

"You most certainly will not!" Alice yelled. Of course she heard. Edward just laughed his musical laugh. I, on the other hand, was not so elated.

As Alice finally began to finish off with my hair, I noticed that my head felt heavier than usual. She stepped back, gazing intently at my hair and pursed her lips. What was she staring at? Unable to bear it any longer, I lifted my hands up to my hair to find a big lump of my locks piled together up in the back and the rest of my hair in a ponytail. My hand drifted back to the lump, and it felt hard and stiff. I felt my mouth drop.

"Alice!" I couldn't control my voice, and it shot up two octaves. "What did you do!?"

"Why are you accusing me?"

"Because you were the one who was messing with my hair for over ten minutes!"

"Bella, sweetie…honey…" she looked a bit uncomfortable. "Emmett sort of… well…"

I felt the blood drain from my face. "What did he throw at me?" My voice sounded dead. Edward started to pat my back a little more soothingly and stroked some of my hair back from my face.

Alice took a deep breath and said everything at once, making it all come out in a rush. "Emmett through a big ball of wet, sticky gum into your hair and I couldn't get it all out, so I stuck some of your other hair on top of it and tried to make it somewhat resemble a poof in the back, only it doesn't really look right and…" She stopped at the look I was giving her.

Emmett Cullen had just spat out a big mound of gum from his mouth into my hair. _From his mouth. _Ugh.

"Emmett is so dead," I said through my teeth before realizing that he already was. Damn.

"Don't worry, love," Edward soothed. "I have a plan to get him back after I pummel him. And with the help of Jasper and little Ms. Future over here," he gestured to Alice, causing me to smile since he seemed to have adopted my nickname for her, "you will be feeling much better in no time." I exhaled a long breath.

"Okay," I admitted. "What was your plan?"

He raised one perfect eyebrow and grinned. "It's just something along the lines of the cable mysteriously going out during the last quarter of the football game this Sunday." Alice's giggles chimed in. He grinned and continued. "It should be a wonderful show, much more entertaining than the game itself." He smiled wickedly. "Especially since Em's favorite team is going to be playing."

"Who's his favorite team?" I just had to ask.

"Chicago Bears."

I should have known. Once you go bear, I guess there's no going back.

"Let me guess," I said. "Yours is the Detroit Lions."

His smile was swift and left me breathless. "Naturally."

"I'm not sure what your average mountain lion tastes like compared to a grizzly, but I have to say Emmett has better taste in teams. You do know that they're team isn't very good, don't you?" I asked.

"Don't forget to mention his jeep!" Alice piped in, interrupting whatever Edward's reply was going to be. I was actually interested to see his comeback.

"What are you talking about?" I asked her. Edward shot her a glance.

"How did you know about that?" He asked. "I hadn't thought about what I was going to do to it, yet."

"Oh, but you will!" She squealed, obviously already seeing it happen. "And the reaction it is going to get out of Emmett is going to be _priceless."_

"Yes!" I squealed. Both Edward and Alice turned toward me like I had just done something totally crazy. "What? He chucked gum in my hair!" I said, trying to defend myself.

Edward's eyes widened a bit before he doubled over in laughter. I scowled. "Did you just now notice my hair or something?" I could feel the sudden rush of heat reach my face, embarrassing me further. I should have seen this reaction from him coming, but I was desperately wishing he wouldn't start laugh at me.

"No, it's not your hair," he said to reassure me, still chuckling. "It was just your face; you seem to show a very interesting facial expression when you try to get revenge." He laughed again.

"Humph…" I glared up at his hair, just sitting so perfectly atop his head. I was instantly jealous.

The bell for class rang then, signaling for us to hustle toward class. Alice left after glancing nervously at my hair over her shoulder. I knew that she was just dying to have her little salon of a bathroom here with her now. I would have to explain to Charlie about a slumber party tonight. Joy.

Edward gave me a tight hug, whispering into my ear that everything would be alright. I think I just incoherently grumbled something back. He pulled away, smiling sweetly at me. He took a few steps back from me and lifted my hand to his lips. He closed his eyes, inhaling the scent at my wrist before lightly kissing it. I blushed.

"Do not worry about your hair," he stated severely. "You are beautiful." I smiled weakly.

"Thanks…"

He winked and then was gone. I slumped off to my next hour, my hair seeming to weigh me down.

* * *

When last hour finally came, I quickly rushed to class, hoping to get out of sight from the hall wanderers as fast as I could. Edward was waiting by the door for me, a smile spreading across his face once he saw me.

"Hey there," he murmured. I smiled nervously back at him.

"Hey," I said softly.

"INCOMING!!" Suddenly something very big and very hard charged in between Edward and I, shoving me out of the way so that it could get into the classroom, leaving me stunned.

"What the-?" I began.

"Shhh," Edward whispered, pressing his finger to my mouth. "It was just Emmett." He rolled his eyes, looking extremely annoyed.

"If I survive this today, I'm not so sure about tomorrow." I was dreading what lay ahead of me beyond that door. I was more than willing to wait out here.

"Come on, Bella," Edward urged, taking my hand. I took a deep breath and stepped foot inside my second torture chamber of the day. Edward led me toward two empty seats in the back. Once we sat down, Emmett, who was a few rows ahead of us, turned around to face me.

His face instantly broke into a grin, showing off his cute yet evil dimples, and he smashed his lips together as if to keep himself from pointing and howling at me. I stuck my tongue out at him, which only made his face contort even more.

"Ugh," I whimpered. I turned my head away from him and instead gazed at Edward. Edward was facing straight ahead, his eyes staring at Emmett. His face was expressionless.

"You'll warn me right before he's about to do something crazy, right?" I was already starting to panic.

He glanced sideways at me, offering me a tiny smile. "Of course." He paused to purse his lips. "Although I'm not sure how much that will help. He'll just do it anyway." My stomach dropped and I suddenly didn't feel very well.

"Great," I said weakly. Edward took my hand tightly in his and began to rub smoothing circles across the back of it with his thumb.

Class began easily and continued for a whole fifty minutes. I was just beginning to think that Emmett wasn't going to do anything rash, but I thought that way too soon. Almost a minute after the thought entered my mind and the teacher's back was turned, Emmett spun around in his chair with a straw attached to his mouth. I vaguely saw tiny bits of paper crumpled up on his desk, but I was more concerned about what was about to come out of the other end of that straw. It was pointed directly at me.

He blew forcefully, shooting out wads of spit-filled paper toward my face. I flinched right before Edward's hand came out and caught it. Emmett must have figured that Edward would block them, and so he suddenly had about ten straws obscuring from his mouth, all pointed in different directions, but unmercifully all perfectly aimed at some part of me.

He blew them at me, all at once, and I knew he must've filled each of them with ten or more wads because they just continued to keep coming. Emmett's face would have attacked me with vicious laughter if it wasn't for the fact that Edward and I were being bombarded with spit balls.

I didn't get hit even once. I couldn't say the same about Edward, though, as he was covered in them across both of his arms. He flicked them off disgustingly. Mine and Emmett's mouth were wide open in shock. How had he been able to do that? I heard a snicker from behind us and swiveled around to see Mike ducking his face from laughing. I should've known that the little scene wouldn't have gone unnoticed.

I looked at Edward gratefully. "Thank you," I whispered. He smiled and bent down to my face to give me a quick kiss before the teacher turned back to face the class. I mentally slapped myself. I didn't know this teacher's name, either. Again, thanks to Emmett.

Emmett, being the moron he is, was still turned toward us, straws sticking out of his face.

"Mr. Emmett." The teacher coughed. Emmett's eyes widened and he sharply turned around, dropping his straws out of his mouth and onto his desk in the process.

"Nice that you could join us once again. Detention." Emmett's jaw fell slack and Edward and I suppressed a snicker.

Once class was over, Edward dashed me out of there, leaving a broken looking Emmett behind to face the wrath.

My phone began to ring and I looked down to see who it was. _Jacob._

"Edward," I choked out. I didn't want to talk to him, but I also needed to apologize. He had been there when I truly needed someone, and I had just walked out on him. I felt horrible.

I held my phone out to Edward and he glanced at the name it showed. He nodded.

I hit the button and raised the phone to my ear. "Jake?" I asked.

"_Bella?"_

"Yes?"

"_Can you come down here? To La Push, I mean. I think we should talk."_

"Umm, Jake… I'm kind of busy. You know, with the current events and what-not." I didn't want to leave Edward's side anytime soon and all Jake could think of doing was getting me far away from him.

_"Well, you see,"_ he continued, _"I remember you saying that you wanted to do something. How does cliff diving sound?"_

* * *

**Uh oh! Is Bella actually going to go cliff diving?! That was what caused the whole problem the first place in New Moon! And what of Alice's mysterious surprise? I wonder... lol :) I think I'm going to have a bit too much fun with Emmett while he's getting revenge... *snicker***

**Anyhoo, thanks for reading!**

**Oh! And I love reviews!! Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em!**

**-Natasha**


	9. Chapter 9: Barbie Bella Forgives

**I realize it has been quite some time since I last updated... but on the bright side, this is the longest chapter I have written...ever! :D**

Chapter 9

Barbie Bella Forgives

* * *

My mind raced to figure out what to say. I had to make a decision and I had to make it quick. So it was with a sigh that I decided to turn Jake down.

The only reason I had wanted to do such an extreme event was due to the fact that I wanted to hear Edward's perfect voice. Now that he was back, I didn't have to be such an adrenaline junkie anymore.

"Sorry, Jake. I don't think cliff div-…err… doing that would be such a good idea."

I had hurriedly changed my wording in midsentence once I caught the look on Edward's face. Of course he would be the one to listen in on my conversation.

His eyes were full of anger, yet they still held the ability to look fearful. He took my hand gently in his and squeezed it tight. _Ow._

"I have to go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"_Okay,"_ Jake mumbled on the other end. He sounded completely defeated and I felt sorry for him.

"M'kay. Bye."

"_Bella, wait!"_

Ugh. As much as I tended to like Jake, he really should've learned by now that all I wanted was to be with Edward. But I was pretty sure that he did know that, and it was the only reason that he continued to interrupt it.

"Yes?" I said, exasperated by now.

"_Just think about it, okay? For me?"_

I closed my eyes and exhaled. Edward's hand tightened on mine, and it felt as if my bones would break if the hold was to get any tighter.

"_It would be so much fun and it'd finally get me out of the house for once."_

"Uh, yeah… Sure, Jake. I'll think about it. But right now I have to go. So… bye." I quickly shut my phone and turned it off. No need to take any more chances.

Edward and I were still standing just outside the school, and I hesitantly looked up at Edward, afraid of what his reaction might be. I hadn't told anyone about my interest in extreme sports while he was gone just yet, and I was terribly afraid to.

Edward had caught on to the cliff diving, but I was ever more determined to keep the motorcycles a secret for quite some time. I didn't need to rush things either.

Edward's eyes were closed and his other hand that currently wasn't crushing mine was pinching the brim of his nose. He was beginning to breathe heavily, causing me to worry about how far his temper was going to take him.

A few people walked past us, not really paying much attention to our presence. I kept my gaze on Edward.

"Edward? Are you okay?"

"No."

I waited a little longer, but he still continued to remain silent. The parking lot was clearing out, leaving my truck and the Cullen cars. I briefly wondered where Alice and everyone else were, but pushed it aside.

"Edward," I said, still unused to the thrill of saying his name gave me, "it was just an idea. I honestly didn't jump from a cliff while you were gone."

His eyes opened then, looking straight into mine. He looked so sad.

"I was not expecting to hate Jacob Black more than I did when I had first discovered that he had been putting you in danger by letting you be around adolescent werewolves." I didn't say anything and he closed his eyes again. "Now I do."

"Edward, you can't-"

So fast, his hand was off mine and his arms were around me, crushing me to his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he whispered into my hair. "I never imagined leaving you in the hands of irresponsible, violent creatures who always find danger in everything they do." I was about to interrupt him, to tell him that it was _my_ doing of wanting to do the extreme cliff diving, but he continued.

"And then they tried to have you join them," he growled. His arms crushed me even closer, but it wasn't that uncomfortable this time. It felt nice, like I was forever protected in his arms.

"It's not like that." I rested my head against his shoulder, breathing in his scent. I just couldn't seem to get enough.

"I don't think you understand, Bella," he said fiercely. I leaned back to try and see his face, but his arms restrained me and I could only make out his jaw.

"What do you mean? Edward?"

He tilted his head down so that he could face me and lightly kissed my forehead.

"I could quite literally kill them for that, Bella. You don't know how much I want to. To even think about putting you, _my Bella, _at risk like that… it's the darkest kind of blasphemy. There's no need for you to join in on their blood games. It's as if you being within seeing distance of them isn't enough." He snarled the last part.

I sucked in a startled breath. He couldn't do that. Not because he didn't want to, for he most certainly did, but because I wouldn't let him.

"You can't." I had lowered my voice to a whisper. "You can't because they didn't do anything wrong."

I pulled back and this time he let me. I could see his face clearly now, even with his arms still securely enwrapping me. His eyes were smoldering, his jaw too tight.

He lifted an eyebrow at my response and opened his mouth to speak but I put my finger to his lips. It was my turn to not be interrupted.

"The whole idea of me cliff diving with Jake was mine. He didn't want me to at first, but I insisted." I paused, thinking. What had happened to the Jake, _my_ Jake, which was always worried about me jumping from those cliffs? He had told me that it wasn't such a great idea for me. The only thing the new Jake seemed to be interested in now was getting in between Edward and I.

He had been my sun, but now the werewolf thing had become a cloud, concealing the true him. Perhaps it was helping me to see him for what he really was. But for whichever reason was behind it, my sun wasn't shining anymore. I would have cried my eyes out right then and there if Edward hadn't still been holding me.

"They didn't do anything wrong," I repeated brokenly. Edward tried to speak again, but I cut him off, brushing my finger lightly across his bottom lip. He shuddered once at my touch and then closed his eyes.

"Don't do anything to Jake or the rest of the werewolves," I murmured. I gently brought my hand from his lip to trail my fingertips along his cheekbone.

"Jake may hate me and you now, but…" I traced my finger beneath his eye. He parted his lips, his eyes still closed.

I swallowed, swiping my hand along his jaw before removing it from his face. He opened his eyes slowly, looking flustered if that were possible. "But…" he prompted, sounding breathless.

"But you don't have to hurt them," I concluded briskly. So fast that I didn't see it coming, my face was in his iron grip.

"Hmmm," he murmured against my lips. My heart was beating loud and I wished I could tell it to be quiet.

"Yep." I sounded completely breathless. He chuckled.

He closed the small distance between our lips. I kissed him back, a little bewildered at how fast my heart was beating. It almost hurt. His lips were gentle against mine, but I could tell his mind was elsewhere- probably thinking about the Jacob situation.

He didn't stop kissing me right away though, and I had to pull away, gasping for air. Even then his lips didn't leave my skin; they just went to my throat.

That was when I saw Alice standing behind him near Rosalie's BMW, smiling at me.

"Alice?" I gasped.

"Mmmm?" Edward was completely oblivious as his mouth continued its way up and down my throat, as well as along my jaw.

"Alice…. It-it's Alice," I sputtered.

"What?" Edward's lips broke away from what they were doing and he stared up at me in confusion. Exasperated, I pointed my finger in Alice's direction.

Before he had even turned fully around, she was instantly there, standing right in front of us.

"Bel-laaa!" She sang. Uh oh.

"Yes, Alice?" My voice sounded incredibly small.

Her voice took a serious tone to it, and I would have laughed at her if I wasn't afraid.

She began to hop up and down. "I believe it is time for me to share my present from Jasper with you!"

"And what is that exactly?"

An evil gleam entered her eyes as she screamed, "CLOTHES!!"

My jaw dropped. "Huh?" My words came out flat.

"Clothes!" She squealed again. "C'mon, I'll show youuuuuu!" She began to sing and hum. I didn't let go of Edward; I just dragged him with me.

"And then you'll get to see Esme and Carlisle again, too! They haven't seen you since…" She trailed off, looking at Edward. "Since, well… you know."

"Alice," I said, "Your voice sounds way too innocent for your own good."

She just grinned, pushing me and Edward into the backseat of Rose's car.

"What about my truck? And Edward's Volvo?" She looked at me as if I was being ridiculous. Maybe I was.

"The rest will take care of them. Here, give me your car keys." She stuck her tiny hand out to me and Edward. "Give 'em up!"

"Fine," I grumbled, handing her the life provider of my ancient senior automobile. Edward didn't say anything, but silently gave her his. He must have known better than to argue. She stuck both sets on the hood of my car, and was immediately in the front seat, driving us to the Cullen's.

I was cuddled up into Edward's side, my head resting against his shoulder. He started humming my lullaby and I immediately felt my eyes beginning to droop. I didn't realize how tired I was.

I could faintly hear Alice rambling about something, but I tuned her out. It was probably just about her new clothes anyway. All I focused on was Edward's song. Every now and then he would lean in to kiss my hair or my neck. I had missed him so much.

I must've fallen asleep in Edward's arms because when I opened my eyes again, I was able to see Edward's house. Alice was already out of the car, pulling on me to get out of the car.

"Sheesh, Alice. Calm down," I muttered.

Edward suddenly was outside of the car and pushed Alice out of the way, causing her to make a little 'Humph' sound.

He gingerly lifted me into his arms and carried me up through the door. It had been so long since I had seen his house, yet it was still magnificent. I didn't see Rosalie, Emmett, or Jasper anywhere, so I figured they were still at school or on their way.

Carlisle and Esme appeared in front of us and I gasped. Blushing, I was set on my feet by Edward and engulfed in a hug by Esme.

"Oh, Bella! It's so wonderful to see you again!" Her love seemed to radiate from her. I couldn't help but smile.

"I missed you, too, Esme," I vowed.

She let me go and I turned to see Carlisle approaching me. "Hello again, Bella." He smiled warmly at me and without stopping to think about it, I hugged him.

Once my little hugging session was over, Edward pulled me back to him, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"No, Edward!" Alice screeched. "She's mine!" She grabbed my arm, ripping me from him.

"Alice!" I whined.

"Alice," Carlisle warned. Esme was standing at his side, his arm wrapped around her.

Alice calmed down a little, but still continued to pull me up the stairs toward her room. I could feel Edward right behind me, but she turned on him.

"Edward, shoo! She doesn't need you to play dress-up." _What?_

"We're playing… dress up?" My voice squeaked on the last two words.

She turned on me then. Her face was so frightening, I instantly shut up. There was no way I was going to even try to compete with that.

"You. Are. Coming. Now." Her voice was so serious, it was scary. For once, she reminded me of the vampire she was, not the bubbly little pixie she always portrayed.

"Okay." My word came out small.

I took one more longing look at Edward and was dragged against my will through Alice's door. She pushed me onto her bed and then disappeared in the closet. I took the few seconds she was gone to look around her room. She had a few designer posters of the latest looks and European outfits, along with a huge mirror against one wall. Her bathroom door was closed, but I was pretty sure what torturous devices lay in there.

She reappeared, carrying piles and piles of clothing in their own separate white bags. What Jasper crazy? Did he want me to die? Surely he would have known that Alice would do this to me, wouldn't he?

She threw the bags at me, demanding that I try them on.

"You are annoying," I muttered. She just laughed.

After being forced to try on outfit after outfit and going through hours of hair and makeup experiments, I finally came to the realization of what a Barbie doll must feel like. Especially if they had an owner like Alice. I was Barbie Bella.

I think the only real gain I got from the experience was that Alice was able to get  
Emmett's blob of gum from my hair, making it good as new. Or at least until I had to see Emmett again.

We had just finished when I heard a soft knock on her door. Thinking that it must be Edward, I hurriedly ran and threw the door open. So you can imagine how surprised I was to see Jasper standing there.

"Hello, Jasper."

He smiled a sad smile at me. "Is it okay for me to come in?"

I looked behind me and couldn't make out Alice's figure anywhere. "I'm pretty sure you can." I stepped aside, allowing him to enter. I had never really been alone with Jasper before, and so it was a bit awkward to be standing right in front of him with nothing to say. My hair and makeup was done, and I was wearing a new dress Alice had shoved on me.

I sat at the edge of Alice's hardly used bed, fidgeting with the ends of my hair. Jasper continued to stand there, looking perfect.

A minute had gone by when he finally spoke. "Bella?"

My head shot up at his voice. "Yes, Jasper?"

He seemed to take a deep breath before continuing. "I came to apologize for what I did. When I tried to… when I tried to… kill you on your last birthday." I could tell it was hard for him to say that he tried to kill me, but I was too shocked to say anything.

"Some present that turned out to be," he whispered. I still didn't say anything, and so he continued. "I messed up everything, and I'm terribly sorry for that. I never meant to cause all that has happened and I can't even begin to imagine what you must have been going through."

He looked down at his hands. "I should have been in better control of myself, and I failed. I failed you."

Without a word, I got up from Alice's bed and came to stand in front of him. Without thinking, just like I had with Carlisle, I hugged him. He didn't hug me back at first, but after a few short seconds, he was hugging me tightly to his chest.

"It's okay, Jasper," I whispered. "I don't blame you. I never did. You never meant for anything like that to happen and it wasn't your fault how Edward decided to act. I never held you responsible. Ever."

When I pulled away from him, he was smiling sweetly at me. "Thank you, Bella." He carefully took my hand and kissed it before leaving. Alice came out then, beaming her pearly whites at me.

"Thank you, Bella. You don't know how long he's been degrading himself for that."

I hated to know that Jasper had thought the whole incident was his fault. Sure he had been the first cause in the recent little chain of effect, but he didn't decide that Edward should leave or that I was miserable. He couldn't help himself and it was involuntary.

Edward strode in then, pulling me tightly to him and kissing my hair. "How was your dress-up session, love?"

I blushed.

"It was quite… killer." He chuckled while Alice pretended to ignore what I said.

I was still thinking about what Jasper had told me. I couldn't really hold him accountable for the last few months, but as my eyes trailed over to Alice's clothes pile that had taken me for ages to try on, I couldn't help but blame him for that.

* * *

**Okidok you guys, I recently just got new classes for the new semester and I just finished my first week yesterday. I'm incredibly sorry for the delay, but I was freaking out and trying to get into the new routine the whole time and having to study for tests and what-not. I don't know when my next chappie will be, but I hope I can fit it in sometime this week. Again, truly sorry!**

**Next 2 chappies: Something terrible goes amiss, causing a very bad decision and the 'would be' history to repeat itself. ( Very vague, I know xD )**

**Anyways, I love reviews! Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em!**

**-Natasha**


	10. Chapter 10: Interrupted again

**It's my birthday!**

**Can I ask for something?**

**.....**

**REVIEW!!!!! :D**

Chapter 10

Interrupted... again

* * *

The next two weeks seemed to fly by incredibly fast.

Edward kept apologizing to me, telling me how much he was sorry for leaving, and how he hadn't been able to live without me.

No matter what I told him, he continued to degrade himself for leaving, and I absolutely hated it.

Jasper and I had become surprising close during this time as well. Although he still wasn't much of a talker and he frequently kept his distance, he would occasionally smile warmly at me or try an attempt at small talk.

Once he had caught me by total surprise by hugging me the second time I had come to visit the Cullen home. He had seen me walking in the door and had immediately appeared in front of me, giving me a gentle embrace before disappearing again.

I had asked Edward what that was about when we left, and he had said that he was glad I had forgiven him, that I hadn't turned against him. He then explained how much Jasper had been hurting while they were gone, since he hadn't left without apologizing in some way.

It hurt me to hear that I had caused as much pain as what I originally thought was just my own suffering. I had figured I was the only one who felt horrible and worthless in their absence. To know I was only one of the many was just so… depressing.

But in a way, I guess I was a bit happy that I wasn't the only one who had had to deal through the pain. Yes, it was quite a selfish thought, but it couldn't be helped. After all, the cause was equally divided.

They were the ones who left; I was the one who got the paper cut. If only I wasn't such a human.

"Edward?"

My voice blew away from me, carried in the soft breeze of the meadow. _Our_ meadow, as Edward liked to call it.

He was wanting to take me here again for a few days now, but once I stepped through the lush plants and into the brightly colored meadow, I turned around, only to find that Edward was out of sight.

For a wild moment, I thought that I had been hallucinating again. It was such a scary thought. What if I had just been imagining all that had happened so far? Was I honestly that mad? If so, I would take it into my own personal interest that I get help right away, for that would have been crossing the line.

But I couldn't have imagined all of Edward's touches and kisses on my own. It was the only thing keeping me from going into denial, helping me to believe that he was still truly here.

"Yes?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of his voice so close to my ear.

I rounded on him, smiling gently. His grin, on the other hand, was almost too big for his perfect face. I lightly reached my hand out to trace the edge of his jaw.

He closed his eyes and leaned into my hand, almost nuzzling it. I giggled.

I let my other hand rest at my side. The tips of my fingers were barely able to reach the petals of a few tall daisies.

I allowed my eyes to be dazzled by his glimmering skin, often looking at his soft hair, or his tender smile on his lips. His eyes still closed, I lifted my other hand to run through his tousled locks.

His eyes opened slowly as his smile grew.

He suddenly leaned toward me, his lips stopping only a few centimeters from mine. Teasing me. Well, two could play at that game.

I softly blew a tiny breath on his lips, causing his eyes to widen. He tried to close the distance, but I ducked my head down to his neck.

I skimmed his skin with my mouth, enjoying it even more when I heard him catch his breath. But I didn't even get enough time to marvel in that idea. Not even a second later, I was scooped up in Edward's arms while he sat on the dark green grass.

He leaned down again, slowly this time, but much to my enjoyment, there was no teasing.

His lips pressed lightly to mine without much pressure, but I wanted him to. He brushed them gently, sending shockwaves to my once dormant heart.

It was times like these when I felt perfectly relaxed. It didn't take much on Edward's part to make me calm, but it just seemed that we hadn't been able to be with just each other since the Cullens (preferably Edward) had returned.

We were always being bombarded, whether it was from Charlie, Alice, Emmett, or even Jake. I hadn't seen Jake at all since he left me that one night, but he took it upon himself to make calling me his new hobby.

Perhaps he really thought he was doing me good, but I had got to the point where I couldn't take it any longer.

No longer did he call me on my phone, for it was always off.

And it would most-likely remain that way until further notice.

Of course, he continued to call my house, but I didn't spend much time there anymore, nor did I return his ancy calls. I was with Edward, and now I was with him in our happy place.

I closed my eyes and listened to the birds chirp their hearts out. I wanted to join them, to sing and be free. I idly wondered if any one of them had a beautiful hawk watching over them as a comparison to how Edward watched over me.

It was such a silly thought that I discarded it. It would be ridiculous to have such a powerful predator watch over its prey. Especially if they were birds. But fortunately, nature had some exceptions: one being Edward and I.

I was aware of Edward's hand trailing through my hair as he hummed my lullaby.

Playfully, I sent my hand up to his gorgeous head to massage patterns into his scalp. A purring sound erupted from his throat, sending my giggling reaction off again.

His lips came crashing down on mine again, but with mush more force than the first kiss.

I was so focused on Edward that I didn't even hear the voice calling my name at first. It was only when Edward froze that I finally came to my senses.

Jake was standing at the edge of the meadow, glaring at us. His shoulders were hunched over as if he was about to charge, but was restraining himself.

"What the… JAKE?!" I couldn't stop the anger I was beginning to feel towards him. He had interrupted us _again_, but now he was in our _meadow!_ He just had to taint everything.

Growls vibrated off of Edward's chest, but immediately halted after Jake turned to him. Edward tilted his head as if listening intently to something.

Not a moment later, he had pulled us to our feet and guided me over to Jake, keeping his arm tightly wrapped around my waist.

"Are you sure? You're positive?" Edward's voice sounded worried and desperate at the same time. He must have been answering one of Jake's comments in his mind.

"_Yes_, I'm _sure_," Jake growled back. He almost sounded menacing.

Edward's hand gripped me even tighter than before.

"Bella, it's…" Edward couldn't finish his sentence, so Jake apparently took the liberty to do so.

"The pack has just spotted the vamp Victoria a few miles away. We couldn't catch her before she got away, but we're pretty sure she hasn't left yet."

I could feel my pulse racing in my chest. My mind was in a haze and I couldn't clear it.

She had finally come for me. This was it.

Why hadn't I done something that night I got home from Jake's after hearing that story about Victoria? Oh yeah, I was too distracted by Edward's wonderful appearance. I _was _stupid. More stupid than I originally thought.

I had not realized my breathing had stopped until Edward told me to breathe. He was cradling me into his side, trying to calm my beating heart.

Edward turned to look at Jake again. As I stared at Edward, the pain in his face was undeniable. His face was expressionless, emotionless.

"Bella, I need to go."

That one sentence sent me into a panic.

"Don't leave!" I burst out. I was overwhelmed with images of the moment he had left me. His face held the same look then as it did now. He was determined.

"No, Bella! Listen!" He tried shaking my gently out of my rigid stance.

"I'll never leave you again. Never. But I need to get to Carlisle fast so that I can get rid of Victoria." He snarled her name, sending shivers up my spine.

"But you're still leaving?" I meant it to sound as a statement of fact, but it sounded like a question.

"Only for an hour or two." His voice sounded incredibly strained. I knew he was trying desperately to hide his pain of leaving me. He was trying to make me feel better by not showing how he felt. Just like he had that one day months ago.

"No…" I whimpered. "Don't… go."

He crushed me to him, kissing me deeply until Jake obnoxiously cleared his throat. Edward groaned.

"Hate to interrupt, but…" Jake started, but I cut him off in my anger.

"You already did, Jake. Every moment you called me, and when you walked in moments ago. Why are you even here? Isn't it against the treaty for you to be on this land?"

His expression hardened at my words and tone, but he didn't answer. His jaw locked and he continued to glare with hate in his eyes at Edward.

"He thought that since he was helping us out, that it wouldn't be such a big deal," Edward filled in.

Jake's growl resembled a bark in many ways as he glared at Edward.

"I don't need you stealing words from my head! If I wanted to say them, I would!"

"Well, answer her when she's talking to you! You should be lucky that she even does!" Edward yelled back.

The meadow was instantly filled with snarls and growling. It was tainting the light atmosphere and I knew I would always remember it every time I came here.

"Stop it! Just stop!" I screamed. I leaned against Edward, his arms snaking around me instantly. Jake was still shaking, but he seemed to be controlling himself.

"Jake has offered for you to go with him so that you'll be safe… until I can get you safely back in my arms."

I wanted to cry, but I would be strong for Edward if he was trying to do the same for me.

"Okay," I whispered.

He pulled me close once again and was gone. "I love you," I called quietly out to the air. I hoped he wasn't too far away to hear it.

Then I turned back to Jake.

"So… why exactly haven't you been returning my calls?" he asked.

* * *

**Review!! It's good for the heart! :)**

**Thank you for reading!**

**-Natasha**


	11. Chapter 11: Wrong Decision

**Okay- so sorry doesn't even begin to describe how much I have neglected this story. But, still... SORRY! I hope you can all forgive me! ~Ducks under couch~ I have made a promise to myself and now to all of you that I WILL finish this story, no matter what, and that I will do it SOON! :)**

**There's only a little more to go of this, and this time I won't wait like 4 months to update. Again, ~squeaks~ sorry!**

**Enjoy xxx :)**

Chapter 11

Wrong Decision

* * *

"Jake, you are so immature."

"What?" His face of innocence made me want to smack him and destroy what dignity he had left. The thought surprised me, for I was usually quite a non violent person. But then again, I was thoroughly convinced that it was the least he deserved.

"You know exactly why I haven't been returning your calls."

He and I had been walking alongside the public road to La Push for what felt like forever. When he had first asked that question, all I did was try to give him the silent treatment. But after awhile, he wasn't taking that and starting to repeat it over, and over, and over again until I just couldn't take it anymore.

"Aww, come on! You know how much you miss me. You couldn't have answered just one phone call?"

"No," I ground out. "I couldn't have." I walked faster to eliminate the tension of walking right next to him.

The clouds above us thundered, signaling the fall of rain was near. Perfect. I started to walk faster.

"Bella," Jake's voice rang out. I didn't answer and just continued to walk. The rain began to pour and I could have screamed in frustration. Why was this happening to me?

I shivered as the wind began to pick up and mentally chastised myself for not bringing a jacket with me; I was living in Forks, for crying out loud.

I hadn't realized it, but Jake had somehow managed to get his stride back beside me while I was oblivious. He draped his arm across my shoulder and the warmth coming from his side was almost too good to be true.

"Jake," I mumbled.

"Hmm?"

I had to admit it. I just had to. As much as Jake could really get on my nerves during the most crucial moments, he had done more good than bad. He had come to warn me about Victoria, not knowing that that was Edward and mine's most valuable place to be with one another. He had also saved me when I thought I had lost every reason to live after Edward's departure, and that wasn't something I could easily forget.

"Thank you," I whispered. He glanced down at me and raised one of his eyebrows, giving me a small nod with his head. He was about to say something when I cut him off. "For more than just the warmth, Jake. For so much more than just the warmth."

Confusion settled across his features before he smiled a gleaming smile back down at me.

"I don't regret a single minute of it," he vowed. I hated hurting Jake by being with Edward. But I wasn't going to throw Edward away. I knew who I loved and who I wanted to be with. If that ever changed… it would probably be because I was no longer alive.

I snuggled deeper into Jake's side and basically stumbled across the muddy ground.

"Bella?" Jake whispered softly.

I looked up at him in silent confusion.

"Remember when I called you and asked about cliff diving? Something to sort of… you know… pass the time?"

"Yeah…" Where did this come from? He wasn't about to offer it again, was he?

"Well… do you want to?"

"What?" He wanted me to go cliff diving with him? In this weather? With Victoria on the loose? "Jake, I don't think that's such a good idea. Especially with all the things that have been going on… things that are _still _going on…"

"Bella," he chastised. "I'm right here. If anything were to happen, they would have to get through me first. Besides, the bloodsucker isn't even near here. Your vamps got her clear up North. What do you say?"

"It's cold, Jake." I shivered again just thinking about it. And even with his calm reassurances, there was no guarantee that everything would run smoothly.

Jake seemed disappointed. "What happened to that adventure seeking girl from a few weeks back? No longer up for the rush, are we?" His voice reminded me of a little boy's who was denied the last cookie on the plate. But at the same time, it was also mocking. Like he knew that if he didn't get that cookie, he would know where to find another to replace it.

"Jake… I'm better now. I'm whole. I don't need…" I trailed off, trying to explain it the best I could without admitting how crazy I was to have to hear Edward's voice. "I don't need to escape from reality anymore. I'm fine right here."

We continued to walk in silence. I listened to the rain hit the dry, fallen leaves and the sway of the tree branches. The sound acted as a time bomb, counting down the minutes until Edward was back with me.

"So spending time with me was that bad, huh?" I immediately lifted my head back to Jake at his words. He was smirking ruefully back at me and his eyes were sad.

"No! No, no, no, Jake! That's not it at all!" When did he not get my hint of how grateful I was? Hadn't I told him? "Jake, you saved me! You did! Without you, I… I wouldn't have been able to even get out of my bed in the morning! Don't you see?"

I turned my body to stop him, gripping him by his upper arms. He just continued to stare down at me, that sadness not leaving his irises. "Jacob Black," I said, shaking him a little. "Do not think that I hated reality so much that I needed to get away from _you._ That's not true. If it were, then why would I have requested that we did all those things together? Why would I have come down here to see you if I hadn't _wanted_ to spend time with you?"

The light in his eyes slowly returned at the trueness and honesty in my words. I gave him a small smile. "Didn't you already know that? I don't know how you couldn't. But perhaps I wasn't that clear on it in the past."

We were silent for a moment and I couldn't help but wonder why he thought I would want to escape from him. I sort of did now, because he somehow managed to ruin a lot of personal moments, but I had never wanted anything like that then. Even now, he was still a sun in my dark.

He gave me a little grin and nudged me forward to go in front of him again, but he still looked too sad for my taste.

I sighed, knowing I would definitely regret this one way or another. "I'll do it."

"What?" My eyes flew to his as I turned my head toward him again.

"I'll do it. I'll go cliff diving with you." He stared at me as though I had just grown three heads right before him.

"You can't be serious?" he asked, disbelief coating his words.

"Oh, Jake," I whined. "Didn't you just ask me not a minute ago whether or not I wanted to do that? To pass the time, remember? Don't make me take it back." I took a deep breath. "If you want to have me do it, you better say so now, because I'm about to back out."

"Then why would you even offer, Bella?"

I ignored his question. I just wanted to see him happy. "Yes or no?"

"Bells," he groaned.

"Yes or no?" I repeated.

"Yes. No! I mean…" Jake shook his head as if to clear it of something. "Yes. My answer is yes."

I blew out a long breath. "Okay, then." Jake had caught up with me again during our exchange and I nudged his shoulder playfully. "When do we start this… fun little pass time of ours?"

He grinned down at me. "As soon as we can." He paused before scooping me up into his arms. I gave a tiny yelp at the sudden change in position, but he just chuckled. "It's good to have you back, Bells."

I couldn't help but smile at his cheerful tone. "Yeah," I sighed. "It is good." But I also knew that we were talking about two different Bellas; Jake's Bella and Edward's Bella.

The rain continued to poor, and I probably would have gotten sick within the first second if Jake's body hadn't been surrounding me, causing the drops of water to heat up as soon as they landed on me.

We approached Billy's house and stepped in. I most likely looked like a drowned cat while Jake stood tall and proud next to me.

"Bella!" Billy's voice echoed throughout his house as he rolled in on his wheelchair from some distant room.

"Hey, Billy," I greeted warmly.

"Bella and I are going to head out toward the cliffs," Jake said casually to the side of me, as if it were nothing.

Billy's eyes widened. "Now, Jacob, I don't think that's such a goo-"

Billy was cut off by Jake's nonchalant response. "Yeah, yeah. Already heard that one." He stumbled around the couch, seeming to look for something. He nearly fell over a stack of magazines and I had to hide my giggle as he cursed.

"I'll be back," he grumbled and it took all the strength I could muster not to burst out in a laughing chorus. He totally just sounded like the Terminator. He left the room and then Billy and I were the only ones left to talk.

"Bella," Billy said disapprovingly. "I know right now that Charlie will not like this one bit."

Crap. I forgot about Charlie.

"What he doesn't know won't kill him," I mumbled, too low for him to hear.

Jake decided to come back then, carrying what looked like an extra set of clothes. "You're going to change?" I asked him.

He scoffed. "No, Bella. These are for _you."_

"Me?"

"Yes, _you._ You're going to be all wet afterwards and I want you to have something to change into once it's done."

I eyed the material in his hands and saw that it consisted of a pair of old, tattered sweatpants and a bright neon green t-shirt.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Jake, but it's just going to get wet from the rain anyway."

Jake shook his finger out at me. "Not if we're taking the car."

I rolled my eyes at him, but it may have also been to help calm my nerves. I really wasn't looking forward to this.

"Come on," Jake said, tugging me back outside toward his Rabbit car. I could hear Billy protesting, but Jake just shrugged his comments away. "Yeah, okay, old man!" Jake yelled across the lawn.

Billy looked mad as he glared at Jake, but once his gaze rested on me, it became one of concern as he hurried back inside. I hoped he wasn't going to call Charlie.

"Ready, Bella?" Jake's excitement was barely even contained and it thrilled me that I had made him this happy. Lately, all we had been able to do to each other was get ourselves upset. It was a good breath of fresh air.

As he drove to the cliffs, I let my mind wander back to Edward. I wondered how he was doing and if he'd be okay. I also wondered what he would think of my little spurt of courage for the cliffs. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about it. If I thought about it now, I would never be able to get out of this car.

A few minutes passed and Jake pulled over to the side of the road. "It's a walk the rest of the way," he told me. "I'll leave the extra clothes I brought for you in here until we get back."

I nodded.

We walked on treacherous ground for about ten minutes and I almost fell flat on my face with each step. Jake, however, handled it with such ease that every time I almost fell over, he gave me a look like I was merely drunk while walking through the woods and not about to trip.

"It's solid ground, Bella," he chuckled.

"Haha," I mumbled pathetically.

We walked through a break in a couple large bushes and I gaped in awe at the sight before me. The ocean went on forever as far as I could see. The dark clouds ahead caused a gloomy look on the water and to me, it appeared angry as the waves sloshed up onto the rocks below.

I gulped.

Jake walked closer to the rocks and peered down. "Huh. Water looks rougher than usual." You think, Jake?

"Uh… are you sure about this?" I asked. "It doesn't look as fun from up here." The angry waves of the water didn't seem to help my resolve, either.

Jake shrugged. "Well, we're here aren't we? Might as well make the most of it."

He pulled his soaked shirt from over his head and tossed it aside. He grinned at me mischievously. "Do you want to go first, or shall I?"

I instantly felt sick. "You can."

He looked doubtfully at me for a moment. "You sure?"

I quickly nodded.

His eyes narrowed as he eyed me. "I'm afraid that if I do, you're not going to jump and I'll have to hurry back to push you off before you run away," he said seriously.

"I'll jump," I said, breathless.

He continued to look at me before shrugging and turning away. "Okay, suit yourself." And with that, he dived off.

"Jake!" I shrieked. I ran to the cliff's edge and watched as he dove under the harsh waves. It felt like an eternity of me holding my breath until Jake finally emerged out from under the water. He grinned up at me before getting swept back down again and then swam toward the shore.

"Okay," I muttered to myself. "You can do this. You can do this. This you can do." I chanted my new mantra as I waited for Jake to reach the shore. "You can do this."

My eyes were glued to Jake, my heart beating erratically. I needed to calm down.

"Bella," a velvety voice whispered beside me. I nearly jumped out of my own skin as I spun around in the direction of the voice. But no one was in sight.

"Edward?" I called.

Nothing.

"That's strange," I muttered. I turned back around and saw Jake standing on the beach, his hand over his eyes as he looked up at me.

I gave a tiny wave and I could have sworn I noticed him laughing at me, but I was far too gone now to care; I was about to dive off of a cliff.

Just as I was setting my feet in for the great leap, I heard it again. "Bella," it growled. "Don't do this."

It was Edward's voice, I knew it! I turned back around, but once again, I couldn't see him.

And then I felt my eyes grow large in understanding. I was imagining his voice again, just like all those other times when I was about to do something dangerous. I just smiled, now knowing that I would get to see him soon once again. Just a little while longer.

I should have taken that voice as a warning. I shouldn't have jumped. I should have backed down and let Jake call me a coward for the rest of my life. But I didn't. I jumped.

I jumped and as I did so, I could hear Edward's voice in the back of my mind, but I drowned it out. I would soon hear it again, and I didn't want to think of how Edward would react once he found out I had done this.

The waves pulled me in deep and I fought against the current to get to the surface. But just as I was about to reach it, another wave came crashing down on me, pulling me in even further.

I was panicking. I didn't want to die. Not with Edward back, with Jake waiting for me. I fought to get air, but it was cold and my limbs were already becoming numb from the temperature.

"No!" Edward's roar resounded in my ears and I could have cried. But I wasn't going to give up that easily. I fought harder against both the current and the numbness consuming me, but it was no use. I was going to drown.

"No, Bella! Fight! Don't give up! _No!"_ I listened to Edward, helpless under the ocean waters.

It was like slow motion. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I registered that I was dying, but at the same time, a part of me was denying it. I watched as little tiny particles floated around my face as though it were a movie and not me looking out into the depths.

My last thought was of Edward.

Oh, how I would miss him.

* * *

**As if you guys don't already hate me, lol. :) I will update soon, though, I promise. :) **

**Let me know what you think! Leave me a pretty little review, please! Or an ugly one, if you prefer... I probably deserve it...**

**-Natasha**


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